The Rosetta Stone and the Nemrud Nomos: the discovery of significant textual and astronomical similarities

Abstract Commagene was an independent and wealthy kingdom in the east of present Turkey from ca. 160 to 20 BCE. A text referred to as Nomos (Dörner) describes the astro-religion of Commagene (Crijns). The text on the Egyptian Rosetta Stone describes the Ptolemaic astro-religion (Rosetta Stone Online Project). It is shown here that the Rosetta text is a precursor of the Nomos, based on textual and astronomical evidence. The coronation dates as mentioned in both texts display a similar configuration in the sky as substantiated by the configuration on the Lion Horoscope at the top of Mt. Nemrud. Not only the date can be calculated, but also the precise time. The time is determined by an annual phenomenon of the marker star Sirius and Regulus, respectively. The latter has been overseen by scholars and underlines the importance of having at least a basic understanding of archaeoastronomy. These unnoticed similarities indicate that the astro-religions of the Middle East are not stand alone cults. The significant similarities point at a shared heritage i.e., a star cult dating maybe as far back as the era of the Fertile Crescent at the dawn of mankind.